Meg Whitman’s Spending Spree Continues

Former eBay boss adds another $13 million from personal fortune to campaign for CA governor.

By Jamilah King Aug 16, 2010

California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman recently added $13 million from her own fortune to her campaign fund. The move means that the former eBay CEO has spent $104 million of her own money in the race for the state’s top office.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the donation was recorded on Friday. 

Whitman’s currently in a statistical tie with her democratic opponent, Jerry Brown, despite having vastly outspent the former governor. Representatives for Brown’s campaign claim the career politician is waiting until the fall to bring out his big money, and paints Whitman’s spending as "irresponsible."

"Meg Whitman continues to pour unprecedented millions into a campaign of unprecedented dishonesty," spokesman Sterling Clifford told the LA Times. "Her ads have been proven false, her trickle-down tax breaks for the super-rich are a proven failure and the late-night disclosure is all about keeping voters in the dark."

Clifford is at least right about some of the ads proving false. Whitman’s done some major flip-flopping since the Republican primary, when she promised to be harsh on immigration. Now, her ads are actively courting the state’s Latino voters.

James Hohmann at Politico tapped into Whitman’s dilemma earlier this month:

Strategists from both parties agree that Whitman must win at least a third of the Latino vote to stay competitive in this blue state. No one realistically sees her winning a majority, but her flood-the-zone strategy has paid early dividends: A Field poll released in early July found the race a tossup and Brown leading among solidly Democratic Latinos by 50 percent to 39 percent. 


California voters will go to the polls on November 2 and vote on whether the state’s top office is for sale.